Saya's First Day at School
by JillyV
Summary: Saya's very first day at Koza High and she is about to meet her future best friend, Kaori Kinjou.
1. Mean girl

This is my very first fanfiction story. It is a Kaori/Saya friendship fic. Somewhat yuri I guess. It all depends on how you read into it. Hope you enjoy. I do not own Blood+.

Sentences in italics are Saya's thoughts.

**Saya's First Day of School**

Saya walks into the school's gymnasium, books in her hand and a school bag slung across her left shoulder. There was a mandatory assembly being held there that would take place in a few minutes. She looked around at the big sea of kids that filled the gym. Everyone at the school was there except for Kai who somehow decided to skip school on Saya's first day at Koza Commercial High School.

_He promised that he'd sit next to me. I'm nervous enough as it is. What if I don't get along with the other kids here?_

As she continued to watch people, she noticed that she was very different from the other girls at this school. She wasn't into typical things girls her age were into. Hair, makeup, boys were things she hardly paid much attention to. She looked around at the audience as she passed them. All the girls were busy putting on makeup that their parents probably wouldn't have let them step foot out of the house wearing. Some gossiped about someone's latest breakup or ogled some cute boy who was sitting nearby. Saya sighed loudly.

_Hopefully I can fit in somewhere._

She stops dead in her tracks nervously and stares at a particular group of kids that looked familiar to her. There was a young guy with a ponytail. His small beard appearing on his lower chin made him seem older than what he really was. He was probably only slightly older than her. He was sitting next to another guy with a very large fro hairstyle and sitting next to him was a young girl with long brown hair who had somewhat of an air about her. She was drinking out of a paper cup with a straw.

_Aren't those Kai's friends? Maybe I could sit with them…_

"Man I should have skipped school today with Kai. This is boring as hell," Kato said to Kakimoto as he brushed his fro with a hair pick.

"We already got in trouble for skipping class last time. I don't feel like raking leaves again," Kakimoto said while slapping the back of Kato's head.

"Hey what the hell you do that for?" Kato shouted to him.

"Would you guys shut up?" Mao said to both of them. Then she noticed that she was being stared at by Saya and promptly eyes her back, rolling her eyes at her as she did so. Mao gestured her hand over to Kato and Kakimoto to get their attention of how Saya was looking at all of them.

"Hey isn't that the girl who is always hanging out with Kai lately?" Mao asked them in a soft whisper.

"Yeah I think it is. It was like she appeared out of nowhere. Kai barely talks about her with us" Kato replies back to Mao while scratching his head.

"Probably to keep her to himself. She's pretty hot. I'd definitely do her. I'd give her a proper welcome to this school," Kakimoto said as he laughed. Kato nodded in agreement at Kakimoto's statement and began to laugh too.

"Hey that was a good one, man" Kato replied back as he smiled at Kakimoto and giving him a high five, all the while really irritating Mao further.

"Yeah …well I don't like her" Mao replies back to them as she took a sip of her drink. She rapidly flings it across the bleachers, throwing it at Saya.

"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT, YOU FREAK" Mao shouts from where she was sitting. This catches everyone in the auditorium's attention. The cup landed right on the side of Saya's head causing her to drop her books. The ice and orange soda that Mao had been drinking leaked onto Saya's hair and on her shoulder. Everyone in the audience started to roar with laugher and pointed at her. Saya was completely mortified and wanted to crawl into the smallest hole possible. She nervously scrambled to pick up her books.

_This is such a nightmare._

"Whoa. Hey Mao. Won't you just chill? That wasn't very nice at all," a small young girl said as she stepped out from the bleachers and went straight up to Saya. She had long brown hair that was held up in a ponytail.

"Hey are you okay?" she asked Saya while helping to pick up her books. Saya nodded yes. "I'm sorry. Mao can be real jerk," she said to Saya with a half smile on her face while handing Saya her books back.

"Thank you so much for sticking up for me" Saya said as tears began to brim in her eyes. Kaori gently wipe some of the soda out of Saya's hair.

"Hey don't let them get to you. THEY'RE JUST A BUNCH OF PUNKS WITH NO LIVES OR SELF ESTEEM THAT HAVE TO PICK ON OTHERS" she said her last sentence loud enough so that Mao could hear her. This caused an already irritated Mao to step down from the bleachers and head straight to Kaori Kinjou.

"I have self esteem, Kaori. This little bitch shouldn't have been staring at me so hard" Mao said getting up into Kaori's face. Mao was taller than Kaori so it appeared as if she was towering over the smaller girl.

"Seriously Mao you should be happy that someone actually wants to look at you" Kaori says with a grin on her face trying her best to appear innocent.

"Why you little bit…" Mao geared up to hit Kaori but as the curse word that was about to leave her mouth, Mao was interrupted by one of the school's teachers.

"Is there a problem here?" Mr. Hiroshima said while walking up to the three girls.

"No…no problem at all, Mr. Hiroshima. We were just about to take our seats" Kaori said with a smirk. She was real satisfied with herself for having such a quick wit. Kaori gestured with her hand for Saya to come walk with her. As they walked up to the top of bleachers that was way away from Mao and her crew, Kaori began to console Saya.

"Don't let Mao upset you. She is like that with everyone. Her dad owns Jahana Industries. So she is the daughter of one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in this city," Kaori said while taking her seat at the top corner of the bleacher. Saya looked down sadly. On her first day she managed to piss off the richest girl at the school.

"Don't worry about it though. Good thing for you is a lot of people here don't like her anyway because she thinks she is better than everybody. I think the only reason why she hangs out with those guys is because she wants to seem cooler than what she actually is," Kaori said casually to Saya.

"My name is Kaori Kinjou by the way," Kaori said while offering her hand to Saya for her to shake.

"I… I'm Saya Otonashi" Saya said timidly while placing her hand into Kaori's and shaking it.

"It's nice to meet you" Kaori said with a cheerful grin. "What brings you here? I haven't seen you around before" she continued to say.

"I just transferred here. I'm living with the Miyagusuku family…" Saya replied back to her with a smile.

"Miyagusuku as in Kai Miyagusuku?" Kaori said in a stunned matter, her eyes getting big.

"Yeah, you know him?" Saya replied in a nonchalant way.

"Well let's see…He is only the hottest guy at this school. No wonder you got on Mao's bad side. She is practically in love with the boy," Kaori replied back to Saya.

"Oh I didn't know that…" Saya said.

"Honestly you must have been living in a cave. So you get to live with Kai. Wow. How is that?" Kaori asked.

"I don't know… I think he is kinda annoying. He always leaves the toilet seat up even after I yell at him about it. And he never picks up after himself. He drives my dad nuts sometimes" Saya replied back to Kaori.

"Your dad?" Kaori asked slightly confused.

"Yes, George." Saya stated.

"Oh right. So George adopted you?" Kaori asked.

"Yeah I guess you can say that" Saya said while nodding her head.

"He owns the Omoro, right? A few of us always go there after school to sing Karaoke. I don't really sing. I just watch. But whatever, it's fun. Perhaps I'll be seeing more of you then" Kaori said all in one breath. Saya was having a hard time keeping up with the girl.

"Yeah…" Saya trailed her word.

"A bunch of us always eats lunch outside in the courtyard. You can join if you'd like" Kaori said smiling at Saya.

"Sure I think I'd like that" Saya replied, smiling back at her brightly, happy that she finally met a friend that seemed so cool.

Suddenly their attention was drawn to the school's principal as he walked on stage to begin his speech to everyone present. He took the microphone and started to speak. The talk began to come across the speakers broadcasting throughout the gymnasium.

"He is very long winded because he likes to hear himself talk. Maybe if we're lucky, we can miss the whole first period of class" Kaori said while raising her hand into a fist and giving a wink at the girl sitting next to her. Saya made a small giggle.

"I'm so not joking. You'll see. He even somehow manages to incorporate his political beliefs into this garbage. I swear the man doesn't know when to shut up," Kaori continued to rattle on, totally unaware of her own over-talking habit.

After the assembly was over, students began to pour down the bleachers getting to each of their own classes. Saya dug into her book bag and got out her schedule. She started to look at it unsure as to where to go.

"Hey could you perhaps help me with this?" She asked Kaori who was pulling her book bag over her shoulders.

"Yeah sure. Of course" Kaori said while looking over the schedule.

"Looks like you got Mrs. Tanaka's class for 4th period. That is so going to be a boring class for you." Kaori grinned.

"Why do you say that?" Saya innocently asked.

"Because I have it 3rd period, the class before. Good luck on that one. Hey you're first period class is right next to the one that I'm going to. I'll walk you there" Kaori replied back to Saya still looking over her schedule.

"Ah your last class will be super awesome" Kaori continued.

"How come?" Saya asked unknowingly.

"Because I'm in it!" Kaori said as she pointed to herself. They started to walk out of the school's gymnasium together.

"Hey thanks for being so nice to me. I really appreciate it." Saya stated simply.

"No problem. It's tough being the new kid. Try being small for your age like me. Now that's killer. I used to get picked on all the time for it," Kaori said. They walked down the hall together engaging in more small talk about the classes Saya would be taking.

"Your class is right across there," Kaori pointed at the direction to the left of the hallway.

"Thanks a bunch" Saya replied back to her with a modest smile.

"It's cool. Look for me at lunch, 'kay?" Kaori said while waving bye to Saya.

"I definitely will. Thanks again, Kaori" Saya called out to her as Kaori began to walk to her class. Saya headed into her own class ready to start the day.

--

Next chapter: Can Saya survive lunch? Not if Mao can help it. Find out in the next chapter.


	2. Saya's favorite period, LUNCH

Chapter 2

The bell rang loudly, waking Kaori out of her light slumber. She lifted her head off her desk and realized that her 3rd period class was finally over. She gathered her books, getting ready to leave the room to head off to her next class. However, Mrs. Tanaka stopped her just before she could leave.

"Miss Kinjou, can I have a word with you?" Mrs. Tanaka asked.

"Umm sure, Mrs. Tanaka" Kaori replied back to her teacher.

"If you fall asleep in my class again, I'll have to give you detention," her teacher strictly told her.

"Yes, Sensei. It won't happen again", Kaori frown, slumping her shoulders down.

As she finished speaking with Mrs. Tanaka, kids from the next period class began walking in. Kaori started to head out of the room and as she did, she ran into Saya briefly before walking out of the door.

"Today's class was especially boring. Hope you brought your Ipod" Kaori said to her while exiting the class.

_Lunchtime_

Saya just finished picking out her food at the lunch counter. The food looked good today which is rare for school cafeteria food. She couldn't wait to eat. She was starving after her 4th period class and she was sure that everyone in class heard her stomach growling. Saya paid the cashier for her meal and started to walk out of the cafeteria to go into the courtyard when she failed to notice someone's outstretched leg come between herself and the exit door. It caused her to trip, spilling all the food that she had just paid for all over the floor.

"Oops. What a klutz!" Mao said mockingly to Saya as she looked down to her on the floor. Everyone at Mao's table began to laugh nonstop. Saya quickly picked up her spilled food off the floor as best as she could and threw it in the nearby trashcan since it was no good to eat anymore. She just wanted to get out of the cafeteria as fast as she could.

Saya ran out of the cafeteria and went straight into the courtyard. She walked down the courtyard for a while by herself but then she quickly spotted Kaori eating lunch with a tall red haired girl. She noticed another girl with short blonde hair run up to Kaori to give her a big hug then letting go of her hold on the smaller girl. Saya started walking up to them.

"Track meet is next week, Kaori. Do you think we are ready?" Gin inquisitively asked Kaori as she placed a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear.

"I believe so. Just as long as we keep practicing, I don't see a problem. I think…," Kaori replied.

"Hey Kaori" Saya appeared before them, waving shyly; stopping the conversation that Kaori was having with her friend. Gin stared at Saya suspiciously, her smile flattened. She didn't like that someone interrupted her conversation with Kaori.

"Hey Saya. Sit down" Kaori motioned her hand to the ground for Saya to sit. "Where is your food?" she asked suddenly, noticing that Saya didn't have any lunch with her.

"Oh… I'm…not that hungry…" Saya's words trailed off but before long they heard a loud rumble from Saya's stomach.

"Haha. Looks like your stomach doesn't agree with you. Here... would you like my lunch? I'm not that hungry plus I'm on a diet. I have to be fit for our track meet next week" Kaori offered to her while handing Saya her bagged lunch meal.

"Oh I shouldn't… I'd hate to eat your food" Saya said shyly, unsure whether to take the bag or not but then her stomach growled again, more loudly this time.

"Don't be silly. I wouldn't offer anything I'm not willing to give" Kaori smiled reassuringly.

"Thank you Kaori," Saya replied while she slowly took the bag out of Kaori's hands. Gin watched the exchange between the two girls and eyed Saya jealously.

"Not a problem. Oh Saya, this is Tadami" Kaori said as she motioned her hand towards her red headed friend. Tadami happily shook Saya's hand in response. "And this is Gin. Everyone this is Saya" Kaori continued. Gin just gave a polite half smile and small wave to Saya.

"So you guys are all on the track team?" Saya asked while practically inhaling Kaori's food.

"Yes, we are. This is our first year. We're trying to make nationals. Our first meet is next weekend…" Kaori began to trail off her words as she watched Saya eat. Kaori found herself amazed as she stared at Saya. For such a small girl, she certainly can devour food.

"Umm you might want to chew that before you swallow" Kaori jokingly changed the subject. Gin began to laugh at Saya as if she had seen something utterly ridiculous.

"What?" Saya unknowingly asked.

"The food. I think it prefers to be chewed. Here… you got some on her face" Kaori took a napkin and handed it to Saya.

"Oh… I'm sorry… I'm such a pig when I eat" Saya looked down shyly as she took the napkin from Kaori and began to wipe her face.

"It's cool. Hey, we could use new members on our team. Are you interested in track at all?" Kaori asked Saya which got Gin to give her a harsh look.

"Hey hold up Kaori. You can't just ask someone to join. You know the rules. They have to try out for it first," Gin sternly stated to Kaori.

"I know the rules. I'm just asking if she is interested. That's all." Kaori replied back slightly annoyed with Gin's attitude. "Gin here is the best on the team. What's wrong, Gin. Afraid of competition?" Kaori asked her friend with a grin.

"No I'm not! If Saya really wants to join then after school she can go to the tryouts. If she is good enough then she can join," Gin stated with a knowing smile as she emphasized the words 'good enough'.

"What time are the tryouts?" Saya inquired, finishing up her meal and started to glance straight at Gin.

"5pm at the school's playground. And don't be late, new girl" Gin replied as she looked dead straight into Saya's eyes. Saya, in turn, was not backing down from her stare at Gin. Kaori just shook her head at both her friends.

"Hey, if you're not interested Saya. Don't feel like you're being pressured into something," Kaori said to her plainly.

"Oh no, I actually want to try this" Saya said with a confident smirk playing on her lips.

--

Next chapter: Saya and Kaori get caught…


	3. Note passing

_Last period of the day_

Kaori walked into the classroom and took her usual seat in the back of the first aisle, closest to the window. She dropped her book bag on the floor by the side of her desk and sat down. She leaned over and dug out her history book for class. Gin casually strolled in and sat at her spot in front of Kaori. She twisted her back in the chair in a way to face Kaori.

"So do you really think that Saya girl has what it takes to be on the track team?" Gin said with an amusing smile on her face as she non-discreetly asked her question to Kaori.

"I have faith in her. You won't know until she tries" Kaori replied back to Gin as she set her book on the desk. Just then Saya walked into the classroom.

"Speak of the devil" Gin snarls and turned back around in her seat. Kaori waved at Saya to come sit by them but Gin looked disapprovingly as if she didn't want Saya around.

"Hey guys" Saya said innocently as she took her seat by the side of Kaori's. Gin gave a lopsided smile to Saya then quickly began to dig out her schoolbook for class.

"Hey Saya. How is your first day so far?" Kaori asked as she ignored Gin's behavior.

"I guess okay… I just didn't think school would be this hard. I don't understand half the stuff I'm learning," Saya said with a sigh, slightly overwhelmed with how the day has been going for her.

"Well if you need help with studying or anything, let me know. I could always use a study partner". As Kaori said this, Gin quickly turned around in her seat and fully faced Kaori again. She was about to say something when Mrs. Sato, the teacher, walks in and addresses the class to turn to page 45 in their history books. As everyone was now fully facing the front, Kaori got out her notebook and a pen. She began to write in her notebook a note to Saya. Kaori tore the paper out and folded it up into a small square and passed it to her. Saya took the note and unfold it. It read: _We should go to the mall after school to get you some track clothes and shoes. Do you want to go?_

Saya took out a pencil and started to write on the same note. Waiting for a good time when the teacher wasn't looking, she slowly passed it back to Kaori. Kaori took the note, unfold it and read: _To me, that sounds as if you're asking me on date._

Kaori's eyebrow went up as she read the note. She used her pen to reply back with a sarcastic remark. She finished and folded it up the same as before then passed it back to Saya. Saya took it, unfold it then read: _Yeah then maybe after, we can head back to my place. wink wink. _

Saya gave a small blush as she read the last sentence on the note. She thought quickly of something equally as witty and wrote back on the note, passed it to Kaori once again. Kaori took it and read: _If we make it back to your place._

Kaori grinned then wrote back on the note and passed it back to her. Saya read: _If we even make it to the mall…_ Saya's lips curved upward into a smile but just then the teacher walked up in front of her desk.

"What do we have here?" Mrs. Sato asked Saya.

"Umm ummm" A wide-eyed Saya began to stutter her words.

"I don't like note passing in my class. Kaori you should know better" She said, as she looks at Kaori then swiftly takes the note from Saya. The teacher began to read it out loud in class as she always does when she catches someone passing notes. Everyone in class started to laugh. As the teacher finished reading the note, being aware of what she just read, she glared at them with an open jaw. She quickly crunches up the note up and slams it in the trashcan. Both Kaori and Saya slightly slumped down in their chairs in embarrassment. Gin looked in frustration at Saya. Kaori's attempt at getting close to Saya was bothering her. Gin found herself not liking Saya one bit for it.

"Woo hoo Kaori is doing the new girl!" Daichi, one of the boys in class, shouted out which aggravated Gin's mood the more so. Saya was blushing intensively and covered her face with her hands. Kaori was a little embarrassed by his statement too but thought to make light of it to relieve the humiliation that both her and Saya feeling.

"No Daichi. I'm not doing her…" Kaori said sweetly.

"…yet…" Kaori continued her statement as she replied aloud with a smug grin on her face. The whole class roared with laughter even Saya laughed too, all except for Gin.

"Attention class, Attention. This class will not be turned into some teenage boy's fantasy. Kaori! Daichi! Lunch detention tomorrow for the both of you," Mrs. Sato said while walking back to the chalkboard.

"Awww come on…" Kaori said in protest, then thought to leave well enough alone as she slumped even further down in her seat, leaning her head against the back of the chair. Saya promptly mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' to her. Kaori waved her hand to signify not to worry about it.

The class continued and it was almost about over. Kaori and Saya didn't speak to each other for the rest of the time so as not to get into any more trouble. The bell rang and class was dismissed. The school day was finally over.

"See you at 5pm, new girl" Gin called out to Saya in a confrontational way as made her way out of the classroom. Saya stopped and looked at her strangely as the blonde left out the room.

Kaori finished packing up her books into her school bag and tossed it over her shoulder. She was about to leave right when Saya stopped her, grabbing the edge of her bag.

"To answer your question, I'd like to go to the mall to get some track stuff," Saya said to her determined to prove Gin wrong.

"Great. If we leave now, we can catch the city bus there," Kaori replied back. The two exited the classroom and headed outside to the bus stop.

--

Next Chapter: More trouble at the mall.


	4. Saya strikes back

Saya and Kaori boarded the city bus on their way to the mall. They took their seats in the back of the bus. The mall was just a couple of blocks away so the ride was not that long. A middle-aged, bald, overweight man with a goatee and Caribbean accent was sitting at the seat on the side of them. As soon as he noticed them board the bus, he had stopped the conversation that he was having on his cell phone and abruptly ended his call. He was looking at them the entire time during their ride through his dark shades. Kaori made sure she took notice at what he was wearing. He had on a yellow shirt open over a black one with khaki pants. The two teenagers quickly dismissed him as a dirty old man.

"God, what a pervert" Saya whispers into Kaori's ear as she tried not to look at the man.

"He must have some weird fetish with teenage girls in school uniforms. Let's hope he doesn't hit on us," Kaori stated while pulling at her own school skirt.

Saya and Kaori began to quietly made fun of him as they started to make their own version of creepy faces to each other, laughing as they did so. Finally they reached their stop and dashed off the bus in a hurry, afraid that the man might make a pass at them while leaving. Kaori looked back to see if he had taken the same stop as they did. He didn't, but she noticed that he was still staring off at them from his window. She breathed a sigh of relief that he did not follow them.

Back on the bus the man, Louis, got out his cell phone once again. "I spotted her," he said into the phone as he watched Saya and her friend walk to the mall.

Saya and Kaori got to the mall, walked inside and headed straight for the shoe store. Kaori began to look around and quickly spotted a pair of track shoes that would be perfect for Saya.

"Here you go. I use to have shoes just like these. They're comfortable and pretty reasonable in price too," Kaori handed the display shoe to Saya.

"Do you want to try that on in your size, Ma'am?" a store clerk asked Saya when he noticed the display shoe in her hand.

"Yes, please. I wear a size 23" Saya responds back to him. Saya and Kaori continued to shop while he went in the back of the store to get Saya's size.

"So do you have any brothers or sisters?" Saya asked Kaori while still looking around the store.

"No, I'm the only child so my parents were always trying to find other kids for me to play with since I never had anyone at home" Kaori answered Saya.

"Oh that must have been hard" Saya sympathetically looked a Kaori.

"Well it wasn't too bad. I always found great friends to hang with but a lot of them eventually leave the island since most kids here in Koza are military children" Kaori said a bit sadly, as if remembering someone in particular. Kaori changed the subject.

"So how is life at the Miyagusuku house?" Kaori inquired as a pair of shorts caught her attention.

"My dad, George is great. He is so kind to me and is always getting the whole family to do activities together so we can stay close. I guess since we are all adopted, he doesn't want us to feel as if we are. You know?" Saya replied.

"That's kind of him. He sounds like a great dad" Kaori grinned.

Kaori picked out the athletic shorts that had been eyeing and a shirt that she thought could fit Saya. The clerk came back with a box in his hand. Saya sat down on a bench and began to take off her shoes. The clerk took the new shoes out of the box, unlaced them a bit then handed the shoes to Saya for her to try on. She put on the new shoes. They felt comfortable enough for her. She began to walk around the store with them on.

"What do you think?" Kaori asked with clothes in her hands.

"These are nice. I think I'll get them," Saya took the shoes off and placed them back into the box. She put her shoes back on and attempted to walk to the cashier.

"Hey wait…you should get these too," Kaori said as she held up the shirt and shorts that she picked out for Saya.

"Don't you think the shorts are a bit too short?" Saya gave Kaori a strange look and took the shorts from her to give them a look over.

"They are just a bit shorter than our school uniforms but if you're not comfortable maybe you should try them on first" Kaori responded back to her as she pointed to the fitting rooms.

Saya took the clothes and walked to the fitting room and pulled back the curtain. She quickly unclothed and got dressed in the white shirt and blue shorts.

"Hey Kaori. Are you out there?" Saya shouted from her stall.

"Yes" Kaori answered. She had been waiting just outside of the door.

"Can you get this in the next size up" Saya asked as she gave Kaori back the smaller shorts over the curtain.

"Okay" Kaori took the shorts and returned with a different pair a size larger and handed them to Saya over the curtain.

Saya came out of the fitting room wearing the shorts that Kaori had got for her and posed in front of the long mirror outside of the room.

"See! It's not that short" Kaori said with a smile as she looked at Saya's reflection through the mirror.

"This bigger size isn't! The smaller ones were though. I guess I'll get this too," she said with enthusiasm. Saya had to admit to herself that she did look cute in this. Now she couldn't wait to show up to the tryout. She returned to the fitting room to change back into her clothes. As she exited, Kaori was waiting for her by the cashier. She paid for her items. After receiving her bags, they left the store.

"Hey I'm thirsty. Lets get something to drink" Kaori suggested and they began to walk to the food court. Once there, they ordered their drinks. Saya got lemonade and Kaori ordered water. With their drinks in hand, they continued to walk around in the mall.

"Is there anything else that you needed here?" Kaori asked Saya as they walked around with no particular store to go.

"I wanted to go to that store upstairs. The one that sells the candy" Saya said excitedly. Kaori chuckled at how thrilled Saya got as she mentioned the candy.

"Sure lets do that," Kaori said. They took the escalator that carried them to the second level of the mall. They got to the candy store and Kaori wasn't even in the door yet as Saya practically made a beeline straight into the chocolate candy, leaving Kaori behind. Kaori had to laugh to herself. She never met a person who liked to eat so much. Kaori reached Saya in the back of the store as she picked out tons of chocolates for herself.

"Hey! You left me." Kaori said in a fake hurt voice.

"Oh I'm sorry. I just get so excited at this candy store" Saya was slightly blushing from embarrassment. She placed her candies in a paper bag and went to the cashier to pay for them.

"You're not going to eat that before your tryout, right?" Kaori was slightly worried now.

"Yeah. Why not?" Saya asked as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Well it might slow you down" Kaori told her a bit sternly.

"Oh" Saya looked down disappointingly and frowned. She really was in the mood for sweets.

"Here, how about you let me hold them for you and you can eat them after the try out, okay?" Kaori suggested as she took the brown bag away from Saya.

"Sounds like a good idea" Saya said with a smile once again.

They exited to store and decided to hang out by the second story banister overlooking the first floor while trying to finish their drinks. They both made small talk about their families and just got to know each other better. They realized that they both had similar interests in music and movies.

"So what's your favorite color?" Kaori asked Saya while sipping on her water.

"Pink, I guess. What about yours?" Saya asked back.

"I like blue. It reminds me of the beach. Hey maybe one day we can go to the beach!" Kaori said in excitement.

"Yeah. I'd like that. Thank you so much for taking me shopping. I always go shopping with my dad but it's nice to go with a girl" Saya said with a genuine smile on her face as she placed a hand on Kaori's shoulder.

"It was my pleasure, Saya. Anytime!" Kaori smiled back.

As they talked, Kaori noticed Mao walking around downstairs in the mall.

"Oh my god, Mao is here," Kaori said in shock.

"Oh great. I really don't want to bump into her. Not here. Not when I'm having so much fun," Saya said a bit disappointingly. Then Kaori thought of an idea and her lips curved up in a sinister smirk.

"Hey do you want to get Mao back for what she did earlier to you?" Kaori asked.

"How am I going to do that?" Saya said. Kaori smile then held up her cup of water up to Saya.

"Oh! We can't do that, Kaori. We could get in so much trouble…" Saya said tensely.

"No we won't. Not if we don't get caught, that is…Come on Saya. Have a little nerve" Kaori encouraged.

Saya thought about it for a second with a worried expression on her face. She really did want to do it. She still hadn't forgotten about both incidents with Mao earlier today.

"Sure let's do it" Saya said slightly nervously. Saya and Kaori both aimed the cups into pouring position as Mao made her way just below them.

"Not just yet…. Not just yet…. Ready…Aim…POUR!" Kaori shouted as both her and Saya emptied their drinks below the railing and down to the lower level, emptying all their contents of their cups directly on top of Mao's head.

"WHAT THE HELL. WHO DID THAT?" a soaking wet and angry Mao shouted from below the mall as she looked up to the banister.

"Time to go!" Kaori said while grabbing Saya's hand and running her way through the mall, dragging Saya along with her. Saya noticed that Kaori was indeed a fast runner but she did well in keeping up with her. They ran down the stairs and directly out the nearest door they could find. Once outside of the mall, they started laughing uncontrollably.

"That was fun," Kaori said as she laughed.

Saya stared at Kaori with a smile and she thought to herself that she probably wouldn't have pulled this stunt if it weren't for her. She really appreciated all that she had done for her today. Kaori looked away shyly as she realized Saya was staring at her. Then she noticed that she was still holding on to Saya's hand. She let go of it awkwardly and Saya looked down at her hand that Kaori once held. Kaori broke the silence.

"Hey I'll race you to the bus stop" she said as she took off running.

"No fair. You had a head start" Saya called from behind as she began to run after her.

They quickly made their way to the bus stop and stood there, waiting for the bus to arrive.

"I can't believe we did that to Mao," Saya said.

"It felt good, didn't it?" Kaori asked, laughing once again.

"Yes it did!" Saya replied back.

"Great timing" Kaori shouted and pointed as the bus came into view. They quickly boarded and made their way back to school.

- -

Next chapter: Tryouts. Will Saya make the team?


	5. Jumper

The bus arrived at their school's stop and Saya and Kaori got off. Walking down the street, the school's playground came into their view.

"Good luck in advance, Saya. I really hope you do well," Kaori said to her.

"Thanks, Kaori. I hope I do well too" Saya replied.

"Yeah just so you can knock Gin off her high horse" Kaori grinned.

"I know, right? I thought I was the only one who saw that. So you noticed that she's kinda weird too?" Saya asked in enthusiasm hoping she wasn't the only one that realized this.

"Yeah she can be like that sometimes. She's the best we got on the team right now and I used to admire her so much for it but then she got a bit cocky and became an overall pain to hang around. Plus she seems to not like it when I get close to other people for some reason. It's like she is controlling or something" Kaori explained.

"So you think she is jealous of me because we're getting close?" Saya asked carefully.

"I don't know" Kaori shrugged her shoulders.

"Well she certainly gave me a weird vibe today. Maybe she secretly has a crush on you" Saya laughed.

"Ha! Ha! Don't think so," Kaori mockingly laughed back.

"Hey she was the only one that didn't laugh at the note the teacher read in class. Did you notice that?" Saya asked and Kaori just shook her head.

They reached the playground and Gin was already there standing next to the school's coach, Mr. Higa. He had a very built body and tanned skin. He wore a baseball cap, school colored shorts that were slightly above his knees and a whistle around his neck.

"Hey new girl. You're not going to try out in that, are you?" Gin said obnoxiously pointing at Saya's school uniform which she still had on.

"No I just bought clothes at the mall. Kaori and I just got back" Saya said the last sentence in a seductive way as she gave a sexy grin, remembering the note that was read aloud in class. This caused Gin to be furious, making an angry face. Kaori tried her hardest not to laugh at what Saya just said.

"The locker rooms are over there, Saya", Kaori said as she pointed to the right wing of the playground. Saya headed out to that direction. Kaori was watching her go when she noticed that Saya had turned around to look back at her, she mouthed the words "You're so bad" to Saya.

While Saya was away changing, Gin faced Kaori with a stern look.

"We'll see what this new girl's got," Gin stated rashly.

"Her name is Saya and why are you giving her such a hard time? She's really nice" Kaori was trying to defend her new friend.

"Whatever! There is something strange about that girl, Kaori. You just don't see it" Gin said as she huffed off, walking back to Coach Higa.

"What's her deal?" Kaori muttered to herself.

Kaori began to set up the high jump at the regular height as they always do for the tryouts.

"Can you make that a bit higher?" Saya said to her. Kaori looked at her unaware that Saya had been standing there. She was now dressed in her track outfit that they had picked out together at the mall.

"Umm I mean… I could… but beginners don't usually pass this height on their first try" Kaori stated. Gin began to laugh at Saya's suggestion and shake her head as if she heard the stupidest thing in the world.

"Kaori's right, Saya. Honestly if you can jump a height higher than what we set up then you don't even have to tryout for the rest of the obstacles. I'll accept you straight on the team" Coach Higa said to her.

"Well I want to do it then" Saya said assertively.

"Are you sure?" Kaori asked, worried that Saya was making a bad decision.

"I'm sure. Please set it up higher," Saya stated firmly.

"Okay then…" Kaori said reluctantly as she began to reset the bar. Gin gave a smirk as if she was sure Saya would never make it now and she didn't have to worry about Saya being on the team after all.

Saya walked all the way to the far lane of the track and positioned herself to get ready for the jump. She looked at the bar from where she was standing and a rush of nervousness flowed through her entire body. She was thinking that perhaps she made a bad decision since she never tried this before. But for some reason earlier, she had this confident streak that she didn't know she possessed. It was almost as if some part of her inner self had revealed itself in that moment. She thought not to think too much of it as she got ready for the jump. She put her weight on her pivot leg and began to take deep breaths, as she had seen many athletes do on TV when starting their races.

"Ready!" Saya heard Coach Higa say and she started to draw her body up.

"Set!" She exhaled her last deep breath slowly.

"GO!" Coach Higa shouted while blowing his whistle. Saya pushed off the ground, running at great speed. As she was approaching the bar; she gave all her strength and launched herself in the air. She was in the air, floating as it appeared. Time seem to go into slow motion. She arched her back a bit as it crossed the bar. Kaori, Gin and Coach Higa watched in awe at all of Saya's movements, as she moved effortlessly through the air. Finally, what seemed like forever, Saya's back hit the mat.

"YOU DID IT!" Kaori shouted in amazement as she raised her arms high up in the air. She ran over to Saya, jumped on the mat besides her and gave her a big hug.

"That was amazing, Saya. If the bar was a bit higher, that would be national meets level," Kaori said ecstatically, clinging on to Saya and looking at her in admiration. Saya looked at her friend and smiled. Gin stormed off angrily without saying a word to anyone. Saya and Kaori on the mat as they hugged was a bit too much for her.

"Great going, Saya and welcome to the team", Coach Higa said to Saya while Kaori pulled her up from the mat. Once she was standing on her feet again, Saya shook the coach's hand.

"Thank you" Saya said, happy that she had made the team and would truly become a part of something.

--

Next Chapter: Saya says goodbye to Kaori.


	6. The long goodbye

"What a day!" Saya exclaimed while exiting the school's playground, walking besides Kaori.

"You can say that again. More excitement than I'm used to" Kaori reaffirmed.

"I'm so tired" Saya complained.

"You did so much. Got on Mao's bad side, had our loooooove note read aloud in class, went to the mall, made the track team, and made a really awesome new best friend all in one day" Kaori lightly nudged Saya's arm and smirked at her.

"Best friend huh?" Saya said smiling back at her.

"Yeah. Why not? Plus I still have these" Kaori said while holding up a brown paper bag she had gotten from the mall.

"My candies!! Okay yes, you are official now my new best friend. Gimme Gimme Gimme" Saya said with outstretched hands as she almost tackled Kaori down for the candy.

"Wow that was easy. I should do the chocolate trick more often" Kaori laughed. Saya took out a chocolate square out of the bag and popped it into her mouth.

"No seriously. You're a great person, Kaori. I feel like I don't deserve someone so cool to hang with. I should tell you something though… I know you've seen that I act somewhat strangely today…" Saya said nervously, afraid to tell her new friend for fear that Kaori wouldn't want to hang with her anymore. Kaori stopped walking and fully face Saya, ready for whatever she had to say.

"You strange? Noooo…" Kaori said with a smile trying her best to relieve the nervousness Saya was feeling. "Other than your strange eating habits, you're really not that odd to me" Kaori continued.

"Do I really eat that bad?" Saya asked, taking in another chocolate square.

"It's seriously like watching the nature channel," Kaori laughed. Saya blushed with embarrassment. She finished eating what was left in her mouth and looked at Kaori with a serious expression.

"Kaori… I have amnesia... I don't remember anything just past a few months ago..." She said almost not getting out what she was wanted to say.

"Oh…I'm sorry…That's really terrible, Saya…" Kaori said with honest concern for her friend.

Saya nodded and looked down to her feet. Kaori placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and Saya looked up at her again.

"Why would you think that would bother me?" Kaori sincerely asked, her eyes shrinking a bit.

"Because isn't that just weird to you?" Saya answered Kaori's question with a question.

"Honestly Saya, name me 5 perfect people in this world and I can give you 5 reason as to how I think they're weird. No one is absolutely perfect in this world so weirdos like you deserve friends", Kaori said with a smirk on her face.

"Hey!! I don't know whether to be encourage by that or to hit you for calling me a weirdo" Saya blinked in surprise, making a fake hurt expression on her face. She took another chocolates out of the bag and placed it in her mouth.

"You said you were weird first!" Kaori shouted and lightly hit Saya's arm. They continued to walk down the street. Saya's eyes got big and she suddenly turned to Kaori as if she had a bright idea.

"Hey do you want to come over to the Omoro tonight? I'm sure I can get my dad to give you a free meal since you gave me your lunch today. And with all my siblings around, you definitely won't feel like an only child" Saya said excitingly, wanting her new friend to stay around a bit longer.

"Now it seems as if you are the one asking me on a date" Kaori teased.

"Just say yes," Saya said insistently, ignoring Kaori's teasing.

"I don't know. I really I should get going. I'm usually not gone this long on a school night. My mom gets worried" Kaori said slightly disappointed to have to say no to Saya.

"But aren't you hungry? You haven't eaten all day," Saya asked with concern.

"It's cool. I can wait till I get home. Weird thing about me is I don't really eat all that much" Kaori responded.

"Well that's not good for you. I'm sure if you hang around me long enough, I'll get you to eat" Saya said, tugging on Kaori's book bag.

"I have no doubts about that," Kaori laughed. They both looked at each other for a long time without saying anything. As if both of them didn't want to go.

"I had a really fun day considering all the madness that happened today" Saya finally muttered out and confessed.

"I did too... I'm sure we can think of all kinds of trouble to get into tomorrow" Kaori smiled.

"I should head off. It was nice meeting you, Saya" Kaori smirk flatten as she finally said her goodbye, waving at her friend as she started to walk the opposite direction as Saya.

"Goodbye, Kaori… I'll see you tomorrow…" Saya said somewhat reluctantly and she stared after Kaori for a long time before continuing on her own way back home.

--

Saya finally reached her house, unlocked the door and walked in. She could hear a show playing on the television. She set her book bag down on the living room floor and she noticed Riku was sitting in front of the TV, watching his favorite cartoon.

"Saya's home" Riku shouted aloud as he saw his sister enter the room.

"Hey Riku. Where's dad?" she asked, rubbing his head with her hand, messing up his hair.

"He's in the kitchen making dinner" Riku replied back to his older sister while attempting to fix his hair and returning his attention back to the cartoon.

Saya walked into the kitchen to see that her father was making stir fry vegetables for dinner. She noted that it smelt wonderful and her stomach started to growl.

"Hey, it seems like you made it home just in time! How was your first day at school?" George said, turning to Saya from the stove as he saw her walk into the kitchen.

"It was great! I met a new best friend," Saya smiled as she began to retell the events that had happen to her on her first day at school.

**END**


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